Choosing your pet cat is first and foremost about connection. When you go to a shelter or if you find a stray cat that needs a home, the most important thing is that you and the cat have a bond. A lot of times, the cat will choose you – it will come to you, rub against your legs or simply fall asleep in your hands – all signs of trust and affection. If you want to adopt a cat, you might be asking yourself whether to get a kitten or an adult cat. We’ll try to help you out.

Kittens are extremely cute and playful. They are full of energy, they need supervision and attention, and you need to enforce some sort of discipline, in order to teach them that certain activities and behavior are unacceptable. A kitten is like a child – you have to look after it more closely than you would with an adult cat, you need to protect fragile and expensive possessions (vases, plants, earphone cables), etc. Taking care of a kitten can be exhausting sometimes. It also takes a lot of patience. That said, a kitten is tons of fun. Cat owners may get frustrated with the kitten’s naughtiness, but in retrospect, most of us miss the time when our lazy, sleepy cats were kittens.

If you are adopting a kitten, be prepared for at least a year of super-energetic running, jumping, toe-hunting and general enjoyable mayhem. Consider adopting TWO kittens, instead of just one, because this way they will play a lot with each other, and will demand less of your attention.

Adult cats are less sought after. Most people prefer to adopt kittens. Still, some of us may not have the time an energy for dealing with an energetic kitten. If that’s the case with you, choose an adult cat. When a cat passes its first year, they tend to become calmer and they need less attention. They sleep more than kittens, and they eat less (kittens eat a lot of food, to fuel those playful energies). If you are adopting from a shelter, the cat may already be spayed, which saves money and hassle. Also, since people prefer kittens, adopting an adult cat is a really good deed – adult cats might wait months or even years before getting adopted.